Current Events > I have a LARGE problem with the Willy Wonka story structure

(+) Yeah! (+)

I've always had a large problem with the order the kids are eliminated in the movie.

It feels like the spoiled rotten girl (Veruca) falling makes more sense as the climax or the finale in terms of the bad kids having karma come back at them. She clearly was the worst of the bunch and feels like the anti-Charlie. It would make sense that someone like her could get so close to making it to the end only for karma to finally take her down. A good reflection on society and how bad people can still make it so far in life (and sometimes karma never comes for them).

It's the only thing that bothers me, after she falls, the movie starts to feel slower until the final moments of the movie. While the scene with the mini candy bar is cool, it feels like it should have been before the golden egg scene. Her song is the villain song and her fall is the defeat of the antagonist. It wouldn't be too much work, just edit out the cowboy boy and his parents from the golden egg scene and edit in Veruca and her parents in the lab scene.

The cowboy kid just isn't as big when he is finally gone, it's an "eh, whatever."

Maybe it's because the actress playing the girl just was so naturally good at her role that her scenes tended to stick out more than the cowboy kid, and the book did a better job developing him, but he really feels like an afterthought. I truly do think it is the worst part of the movie as it just feels like a slog during that part. It feels like Charlie's biggest rival has been taken down... but for some reason, the movie just keeps going even though it feels like it should be wrapping up.

Turns out Charlie was the biggest villain all
along.

Good day!

I think Dahl legitimately considered Mike watching TV to be a bigger childhood sin than Veruca being an obnoxious bitch.

divot1338 posted...

Turns out Charlie was the biggest villain all
along.

Good day!

Which is why he was perfect to take over such an evil corporation.

pegusus123456 posted...

I think Dahl legitimately considered Mike watching TV to be a bigger childhood sin than Veruca being an obnoxious bitch.

Maybe so, but this is where I would have used creative liberties to change stuff up. The movie already gutted some aspects of the book, so I don't see any issue with changing the order either. It is such a glaring flaw to me. Something that started as a slight buzz on the other side of the room to something that has completely taken over my entire attention when thinking about the movie.

Let's be honest, Veruca was a better choice to run the factory than Charlie was.

UnholyMudcrab posted...

Let's be honest, Veruca was a better choice to run the factory than Charlie was.

Her lack of patience would have crippled it.

UnholyMudcrab posted...

Let's be honest, Veruca was a better choice to run the factory than Charlie was.

What? No way, she would have been terrible, what are you talking about? Literally any of the other kids would have been better.

action52 posted...

What? No way, she would have been terrible, what are you talking about? Literally any of the other kids would have been better.

Augustus would probably be worse, that tubby truffle shuffling little fuck.

sounds like it's time to write your own remake book and change the story any way you want
remakes are all the rage these days anyway